What to do with a caterpillar?

[rosesnsnails]

We found a caterpillar that was trapped behind a concrete wall. I wonder how it got there so far away from any plants? Anyway, we brought it home. I can't seem to find much information about what to feed it and how to take care of it. I think it is the caterpillar for a moth.

[klpmommy]

Can you post a pic of it (along with the state you live in)? If you can figure out what it eats you can keep it in a well ventilated container & let it go through its life cycle. It really is cool to watch.

[booboo]

We've adopted caterpillars. Their names were Jessie (1) and Jessie (2). :mrgreen We put them in a glass jar with holes in the lid (you can use a nail to do that, hammer it down to make a hole, pull it out, etc.). They like leafy things and maybe even grass. I even fed one a small piece of a carrot! A friend told me not to do that but I did anyway and we found little orange "poops" inside the jar. We kept one for a few weeks, longer than planned because it was the Fall and had a lot of rain. A few weeks later, we found him, still living around our house. :yes
So basically, green leafy things. Even small bits of dark green lettuce would help too!

:O Sorry you brought back some nice memories! Have fun with your new furry friend! :rockon

[rosesnsnails]

I will see if I can get a good picture. I searched online to see if I could find one like it to no avail. We live in West Texas. It is furry, but it is not an asp. He's not really moving around much at all. I put in some grass and pecan tree leaves. I might try apple. I also put in a damp paper towel. He is just hanging from the top. I tied up a piece of grass for him to hang from, but he doesn't seem interested. Could he be getting ready to make a cocoon already?

[klpmommy]

If you can't get a pic, if you give me a description (color esp) I will see what I can find. I love doing stuff like this. :) (Yes, I am a bit weird :shifty )

[Mamatoto]

do you have an aquarium that you could put him in with more room for branches?

[RubySlippers]

We're up to our eyeballs with silkworms, but we managed to find an inchworm on one of the mulberry leaves we brought home. So, we kept it in a container with a fresh mulberry leaves. He ate some and then went into the pupa stage...which is see-through which is cool! We look forward to seeing it emerge.

[Carlashelle]

you could also call your local nature center for help. this is what i did when tommy found a caterpillar.

[rosesnsnails]

Well, I don't think we have to worry about feeding him. He started to make silk, so he is probably going into the next stage. I hope so.

As far as the color, he is orange and black. He is furry also.

We've got a nice Nature Center here, so I will try to give them a call.

[booboo]

He sounds like one of those woolly bears. :think Cute! I think I'd still put food in his home just in case. :scratch

[rosesnsnails]

We put several things in there. I tied one plant to the top just in case he needed to hang, but it looks like he will make his cocoon on the "ground." We'll see. :)

[klpmommy]

definately sounds like a wooly bear.

Here is more info on how to raise one

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/nov99/941930502.Zo.r.html

and more info, including pics of several wb caterpillars & the moth it will become (leopard moth)

[booboo]

Keep us posted about him/her! That story I posted about here, it was a woolly bear too. :heart Oh, so cute! :yes

[rosesnsnails]

He's made a silk cocoon around himself. :) Now, I will try to figure out the digital camera so that I can post pictures. :)

[booboo]

Oh great! I can't wait to see him! :tu :) :rockon

[Katherine]

Just to warn you... We had swarms of caterpillars around here and put a bunch of them in butterfly cages with plenty of leaves and water. They all made cocoons, but never came out of them. :( I left them alone for a long time, but eventually took a closer look and realized they were all dead. I don't know what went wrong, but I'm reluctant to try it again b/c I feel like we killed them all, and it was so disappointing. :blush

I hope yours do better! :)

[rosesnsnails]

Update. :) We are the happy parents of a moth. I spotted him hanging on the branch we put in with him this morning. My ds let him out and onto a pecan tree in the front yard. He acted like a really proud papa. :grin We took many pictures of the moth and then left for church. He was still on the tree when we returned. As the children approached, he flew! They were both so pleased!
This was the second caterpillar my ds caught. The other has not emerged yet. I want to give it plenty of time just in case he is still alive in there. I'll keep you posted.

[RubySlippers]

I forgot to update :O...our inchworm emerged weeks ago...so we released him back into the wild.

The silkworm moths are emerging...they are mating, attempting to steal mates, or egg-laying. :giggle